Integrated circuit providing fault prediction
First Claim
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1. An integrated circuit comprised of multiple gates subject to increased gate delay with age, the integrated circuit comprising:
- at least a first and second redundant circuit module concurrently generating first and second respective outputs; and
a reliability circuitry operating to;
(a) momentarily and selectively apply a stress to the first redundant circuit module in a manner mimicking age-increased gate delay which changes the first output of the first redundant circuit module compared to the second output of the second redundant circuit module without applying the stress to the second redundant circuit module, the stress including at least one of;
(i) decreasing an operating voltage of gates of the first redundant circuit module relative to an operating voltage of gates of the second redundant circuit module, and (ii) decreasing a slack time in a capture of a signal of the first redundant circuit module relative to a capture of a corresponding signal of the second redundant circuit module;
(b) capture first and second values based on the respective first changed output and second output from the first and second redundant circuit modules during the stressing; and
(c) compare the captured first and second values to detect errors caused by the selective stressing.
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Abstract
The prediction of hardware failure is obtained by operating two redundant circuit modules while one circuit module is artificially aged. The output of the two circuit modules is compared and a discrepancy between outputs indicates a projected failure of the aged modules. Aging may be accomplished by one or a combination of lowering operating voltages and re-phasing a sampling clock to reduce slack time both of which provide increased sensitivity to gate delay.
14 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An integrated circuit comprised of multiple gates subject to increased gate delay with age, the integrated circuit comprising:
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at least a first and second redundant circuit module concurrently generating first and second respective outputs; and a reliability circuitry operating to; (a) momentarily and selectively apply a stress to the first redundant circuit module in a manner mimicking age-increased gate delay which changes the first output of the first redundant circuit module compared to the second output of the second redundant circuit module without applying the stress to the second redundant circuit module, the stress including at least one of;
(i) decreasing an operating voltage of gates of the first redundant circuit module relative to an operating voltage of gates of the second redundant circuit module, and (ii) decreasing a slack time in a capture of a signal of the first redundant circuit module relative to a capture of a corresponding signal of the second redundant circuit module;(b) capture first and second values based on the respective first changed output and second output from the first and second redundant circuit modules during the stressing; and (c) compare the captured first and second values to detect errors caused by the selective stressing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20)
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19. A method of predicting failure in an integrated circuit comprised of multiple gates subject to increased gate delay with age in the integrated circuit, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) momentarily and selectively stressing a first redundant circuit module of the integrated circuit in a manner mimicking age-increased gate delay which changes the output of the first redundant circuit module compared to an output of the second redundant circuit module without stressing a concurrently operating second redundant circuit module of the integrated circuit, the stressing including at least one of;
(i) decreasing an operating voltage of gates of the first redundant circuit module relative to an operating voltage of gates of the second redundant circuit module, and (ii) decreasing a slack time in a capture of a signal of the first redundant circuit module relative to a capture of a corresponding of the second redundant circuit module;(b) capturing the first changed output and second output from first and second redundant circuit modules during the stressing; and (c) comparing the captured outputs to detect errors caused by the selective stressing.
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Specification